Hull City Council’s Cabinet has approved plans to consult the public on a joint framework to address flooding issues when considering future planning developments.
The authority is the first in the UK to join hands with a water company to produce an SPD (supplementary planning document).
The partnership between Hull City Council and Yorkshire Water means developers will be provided with a holistic approach on how to manage surface water flood risk within their development.
Councillor Daren Hale, portfolio holder for economic investment, regeneration and planning, land and property, said: “This SPD represents yet another signal of how the council is leading the way nationally in terms of flood and surface water management.
“As a world-leading water-resilient city, this is a further example of the fantastic work coming out of the Living with Water partnership and I look forward to receiving comments on the SPD.”
Hull has the second-highest number of properties at flood risk in the UK outside of London, with 98 per cent of the city defined as at “high risk” of flooding.
Cllr Hale said: “This risk will only increase with climate change. The authority declared a climate change emergency in March this year, setting a target for the city to become carbon-neutral by 2030.
“Alongside this, we have already done a huge amount of work to tackle it from a range of sources including tidal, river, surface water, ground water or sewer. Not only have we secured in excess of £200m of investment into the city’s flood and drainage infrastructure, but we are also providing a clear path for how new development will be designed.”
Lee Pitcher, head of resilience at Yorkshire Water and general manager of Living with Water, said: “The Living with Water Partnership is all about different organisations working together towards the shared aim of making Hull and East Riding a world leader in flood resilience. This planning policy is a key output of that partnership approach and it means that developers will get clear and consistent advice on how their developments can help contribute to managing surface water and reducing flood risk.
“Working with developers and being clear about our vision for the city is key to delivering on the ambition for the area. We are delighted to have been able to partner with Hull City Council to be the first water company and local authority in the UK to work together in this way. We hope that it will lead the way for other innovative partnerships that can help to reduce flood risk.”
The SPD also seeks to demonstrate how sustainable flood risk management has other benefits such as improving biodiversity and general quality of life within the city.
If agreed, the SPD will be used by the planning committee in the determination of future planning applications.
The consultation will run for six weeks and will be issued in the next week for public comments. It is likely to be adopted as part of the Hull Local Plan 2016 to 2032, which was endorsed in November 2017.
